Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Logistics Division

Overview

The Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Logistics (MAL) Division is managed by a division director and executive staff that oversee Agribusiness, Land & Minerals, Financial Operations, Programs, Texas Correctional Industries (TCI), and Transportation & Supply. Coordination oversight of the MAL Division is provided by the chief financial officer.

Responsibilities

• Provide inmate work program participants with marketable job skills to help reduce recidivism through a coordinated program of job skills training and documentation of work history.
• Reduce costs to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) by providing quality products and services; and provide products and services for sale, on a for-profit basis, to federal and state government agencies and political subdivisions of the state.
• Procure, maintain, and monitor all TDCJ vehicles and related equipment.
• Warehouse goods and supplies.
• Transport goods for the TDCJ.
• Manage agricultural, land and mineral operations.
• Ensure emergency preparedness by maintaining products and services during emergency events when these items may otherwise be unattainable.

Organization

Organizational Chart

Agribusiness, Land & Minerals

Agribusiness, Land & Minerals includes Business Management, Crops and Equipment, and Livestock departments.

Business Management provides financial management and cost accounting for agricultural operations across the state to include budget and expenditure oversight, surplus sales, financial reporting and general accounting.

Crops and Equipment manages the direct production of field and edible crops for use within the agency. Field crops include grain and hay, which are processed to feed livestock. Cotton is transferred to TCI textile mills to make inmate clothing and bedding. Edible crops are produced and sent to agency food service departments to be prepared for meals or sent to the agency canning plant for processing. Crops and Equipment also includes support services such as farm shops, harvesting operations, plant maintenance operations, entomology and pest control.

Land & Minerals maintains agency records relevant to TDCJ land issues including abstracts, deeds, title opinions, easements, seismic permits, land leases, and oil and gas leases.

Livestock manages the commercial cow herds and stocker operations, broodmare and horse development operations, laying hen operations, farrow-to-finish swine operations, feed production facilities and meat packing plants. These operations provide beef, pork, and eggs to agency food service departments to be prepared and served. The Livestock department also provides unit correctional staff with horses, which are utilized to oversee outside inmate work squads and canine tracking programs.

Financial Operations

Financial Operations provides support to Programs, TCI, and Transportation & Supply. The department includes the Financial Support Office (FSO), the Business Office for TCI and Transportation & Supply, and TCI Customer Service.

The FSO is responsible for compiling data from various sources to: produce monthly and annual TCI Financial Reports; produce weekly and monthly warehouse reports; and provide information and reports to factories, MAL management and agency administration, all of which are utilized to make business decisions.

The Business Office provides division budget oversight, general accounting, specification guidance, purchasing approvals, credit card monitoring and coding, accounts receivable collections and property accountability.

TCI Customer Service is the center point for customer contact for receiving and processing customer purchase orders and complaint resolutions, waiver requests and providing price quotes, order status, and delivery dates.

Programs

Programs includes Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Compliance, CMV Safety and Training, Inmate Work & Training Programs, The Office of Post-Release Employment Coordination, and Planning & Research.

The CMV Compliance department monitors staff and inmate drivers operating CMVs for compliance with federal and state regulations.

The CMV Safety and Training department provides safety training related to CMVs to staff and inmate drivers. The department also provides Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for employees, as needed. ELDT is required when staff do not already have a commercial driver license or passenger endorsement, in order to be eligible to test for either through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Inmate Work & Training Programs oversees MAL's designated training facilities: Wynne Computer Recovery & Geographic Information Systems and The Billman Braille Center. Inmate Work & Training Programs' responsibilities are to:

• Develop inmate master training plans.
• Document inmate participation in on-the-job training (OJT) programs, job-skills training programs, and other training programs.
• Coordinate with the Windham School District and post-secondary entities to certify OJT programs, create short courses, apprenticeships, and vocational courses.
• Collaborate with the TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division, Rehabilitation and Reentry Division, Parole Division, and the Windham School District to provide incarcerated inmates with post-release employment readiness to increase their reentry success.
• Participate in Rehabilitation and Reentry Division sponsored job fairs and hiring events.
• Ensure availability of job history and certifications to released inmates with MAL work experience.
• Utilize Work Against Recidivism (WAR) data to measure post-release employment success.
• Maintain and update Inmate Job Assignment Summaries (IJAS) to ensure facilities have the required number of inmates to meet production needs.
• Screen and process transfer requests from inmates seeking employment with MAL.
• Provide oversight of the Prison Industries Enhancement (PIE) Certification Program, and act as the liaison between unit administration and the private business located on a correctional facility and monitor the program to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines.

The Office of Post-Release Employment Coordination is responsible for assisting MAL job-assigned inmates to obtain meaningful and sustainable employment directly prior to their release. This department assists inmates with job applications, resumes and facilitates interviews with employers. The department is responsible for employer outreach by educating employers pertaining to the skill sets inmates acquire while job assigned within MAL facilities. The department coordinates with RID and WSD to improve reentry success.

Planning & Research compiles and provides accurate and consistent information about the division for various publications, presentations and webpages; coordinates the development and maintenance of division policies and publications; conducts legislative impact analysis; coordinates, monitors and oversees various division responsibilities; American Correctional Association – Correctional Industries coordination and compliance; provides staff development support such as division training and coordination of other training needs.

Texas Correctional Industries

Texas Correctional Industries Website

TCI was established in 1963 with the passage of Senate Bill 338, the Prison Made Goods Act. TCI manufactures goods and provides services for sale, on a for-profit basis to city, county, state and federal agencies, public schools, public and private institutions of higher education, public hospitals and political subdivisions. TCI includes five divisions:

• Furniture Division has four facilities that build a variety of office and institutional furniture and modular systems.
• Garment Division has 14 facilities that manufacture items such as shirts, pants, coats, shoes, sheets, pillows and mattresses.
• Graphics Division has seven facilities that make signs, stickers, license plates, janitorial supplies, soaps, detergents and provide printing services.
• Marketing & Distribution Division develops the marketing strategy, participates in events to promote TCI products and services, provides customer service and operates the Austin and Huntsville showrooms and warehouses.
• Metal Division has six facilities that manufacture items such as stainless steel goods, signs, park equipment, dump truck beds, and trailers.

Transportation & Supply

Transportation & Supply includes two divisions: Fleet and Freight Transportation and Warehousing & Supply.

Fleet has six mechanical operations. The department is responsible for the management and supervision of TDCJ transportation, mechanical needs, planning and forecasting equipment needs, emergency wrecker services for the TDCJ; manages the acquisition and maintenance service of TDCJ passenger vehicles, buses, tractor trucks, trailers and equipment; provides transportation through motor pools or vehicle assignments to TDCJ staff; and oversees the evaluation of salvage vehicles and trailers.

Freight Transportation and Warehousing & Supply has three freight terminals and eight warehouses and is responsible for managing the annual distribution of consumable goods and supplies, including dry, cold, and frozen food, TCI and Agribusiness, Land & Minerals produced goods, and Facilities Division maintenance supplies, while optimizing the TDCJ's appropriated budget. Freight terminals are responsible for transporting goods, planning the shipping and distribution requirements for the TDCJ, providing safety education training for employees and inmates, and coordinating the transportation and receipt of goods with customers. Warehousing & Supply also oversees the disposal process of salvage vehicles.